Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints pain doctors hear every year. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 80 percent of the U.S. population experiences lower back pain at some point in their lives. The pain may come on suddenly or build up slowly, worsening over time. No matter the source, severity or longevity of your back pain, now you can find relief at advanced pain management. The experienced pain doctors there administer lumbar epidural steroid injections that reduce pain, decrease inflammation and allow you to heal.
When you鈥檙e dealing with upper leg or lower back pain, your top-rated pain doctor at pain clinic聽may recommend a lumbar epidural steroid injection as part of your rehabilitation treatment plan. A time-tested method of treatment, the lumbar epidural injection reduces both pain and inflammation. Although the effect is usually temporary, lasting from one week to up to several months, the benefits can literally get you back on your feet, especially when you鈥檙e in acute pain.
As you progress through your back pain rehabilitation program, strengthening and stretching injured muscles and tissue, you can receive relief from a lumbar epidural steroid injection up to three times a year. But make sure you receive your injection from an experienced professional who uses a fluoroscopy or x-ray for accurate placement. You can trust the pain management doctors in New York because they use the latest tools and equipment available.
How a Lumbar Epidural Works
Your spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid and nerve roots all rest inside the dural sac. Encasing your dural sac is a space filled with small blood vessels and fatty tissue that act as a type of buffer. This area is called the epidural space.
Using a solution that usually consists of steroids, lidocaine or some other local anesthetic, and saline, your doctor carefully inserts a needle into the epidural space of your lumbar spine. Because inflammation is chemically induced and often a significant factor in your pain, the saline flushes out the aggravating components while the lidocaine numbs the pain. The steroids reduce the inflammation.
Conditions that Benefit from Lumbar Epidural Injection Treatment
All steroid injections are designed to reduce pain and inflammation. Where the injection is administered determines the conditions your doctor hopes to provide relief. Some of the conditions lumbar epidural injections help include:
Avoid lumbar injections if you are pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, have been diagnosed with tumors or have a local or systemic infection. Your doctor recommends that you cease taking any medications that may cause bleeding concerns, such as aspirin or anti-platelet drugs. If you have known allergies to any of the components used in the injection, make certain to tell your doctor.
Procedure for a Lumbar Epidural Injection
Your pain doctor in Manhattan uses a fluoroscope, a type of live x-ray, to carefully guide the needle to the correct spot. To make sure he鈥檚 got the right spot, your doctor first injects a contrast dye. Although not painful, you may feel a little pressure when he injects the steroids because of the amount of solution injected 鈥� three to 10 milliliters worth.
After your lumbar epidural steroid injection, the pain doctor monitors you for 15 to 20 minutes to make sure there are no adverse reactions or unexpected pain. While sedation is available for anxiety, you don鈥檛 often need it. And if you don鈥檛 take any, you鈥檙e able to go home once the doctor releases you.
Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection Recovery
When administered by a trained professional, the side effects of lumbar epidural injection are minimal. Besides the pressure sensation during your injection, some have experienced slight tenderness at the injection site that can be alleviated with cold packs. Your physician recommends that you rest for the remainder of the day. You can resume your normal activities the following day.
Discuss with your top epidural injection doctors in NYC when to resume any medications you鈥檝e stopped taking. Research indicates that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of those who receive lumbar epidural steroid injection treatment see a significant reduction in their pain levels. It does depend on the underlying condition being treated, which your NYC pain specialists take into consideration.
The Benefits of a Lumbar Epidural Injection
Many patients report a renewed sense of optimism after a lumbar epidural injection procedure due to a feeling of finally having control over their pain. You鈥檒l likely reduce the amount of pain medication you consume too, as a consequence. You may be able to delay or avoid surgery altogether after an epidural injection.
If you鈥檙e suffering from leg or low back pain, consider lumbar epidural steroid injection treatment at the best pain clinic in Manhattan. To get control of your back pain, contact the pain doctors at 直播做爱.
Leon Reyfman, MD, is a top-rated, best-in-class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award-winning expert and contributor to prominent media outlets.
Dr. Leon Reyfman has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain. He has been named a 鈥渢op pain management doctor in New York鈥� and one of 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Top Doctors鈩⑩�� for advanced sports injury treatments. Among other accolades, he was voted by peers as a 鈥�Castle Connolly Top Doctors鈩�鈥� and 鈥�New York Super Doctors鈩⑩��. Dr. Leon Reyfman was a part of the medical team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.